2021 Highlights Interactive Magazine

FAUSA’sANNUALJOURNAL

In this Issue 

2 From The President 

3 From The Editor 

4 From the Publisher 

5 FAUSA Regional and Metro Coordinators 

6 FAUSA’s Leaders- 2021-2023 Board 

8 FAUSA Volunteers & Lunafest 

9 FAUSA’s Active Local Groups 

Livingston/Bozeman, Mid Fits, NYC, Washington DC, 

Colorado 

10 2021 Cincinnati Getaway 

12 Virtual Activity Groups 

FAUSA In Mothion, Mah Jongg 

13 Virtual Activity Groups 

Wine Time With Amy, Makers Crafts Group 

14 FAUSA’s Virtual Activity Groups 

FAUSA Virtual Book Clubs 

15 FAUSA’s Virtual Activity Groups 

Other Activities - Film Club, Bridge Club, Virtual Road Trip 

16 FAUSA Communications 

Website, Newsletter, Social Media 

17 FAUSA’s Inspiring People 

Kate Houck Lehnert, Kelsey McKay, Jane Ritskies 

20 FAUSA Gives back 

Lamp For Haiti 

22 The FAWCO Foundation Philanthropic Achievements 

DG, Education Award, Target Project, The FAWCO Foundation Report 

27 2021 Getaway Moments 

30 Where We’ve Been & Our History 

Look back and see where our Getaways have been and what we have done. 

FAUSA Board of Directors 

2021-2023 

President 

Liz Janson 

president@fausa.org 

First Vice President of 

Communications & PR 

Brenda Brinkley 

1stVP@fausa.org 

Second Vice President of 

Membeship 

Yolanda henry 

membership@fausa.org 

FAWCO Liaison 

Suzanne McNeil 

fawcoliaison@fausa.org 

Secretary 

Leslie Nelson 

secretary@fausa.org 

Treasurer 

Kathy Limbaugh 

treasurer@fausa.org 

Director of Philanthropy 

Susan Frick 

philanthropy@fausa.org 

Parlimentarian 

Jennifer Padfield 

Parliamentarian@fausa.org 

Counselors: 

Mona Garcia, Louise 

Greeley-Copley, Dale Koepenick, 

Jane Indreland, 

Lee Sorenson, Janet Darrow, 

Therese Hartwell, Rick Chizmadia 

(CounselorRick@fausa.org) 

1

From the president 

Greetings FAUSA family! Welcome 

to the 2021 FAUSA Highlights magazine, 

including a brief history of 

our organization as well as a record 

of accomplishments and activities 

over the past year. Whether you’re 

a new or experienced FAUSA member, 

I hope you’ll find much interesting 

to read about a few of our 

outstanding members, some of our 

activities and metro groups and 

some highlights of 2021! 

Please join me in thanking this 

year’s Highlights editor, Jane Indreland, 

who contacted people 

and coordinated the interesting 

and comprehensive content of this 

issue, as well as Rick Chizmadia, 

whose media expertise was responsible 

for putting everything together 

in such a pleasing format. 

I was honored to have been elected 

president at the 2021 Cincinnati 

Annual Meeting and Getaway. Rick 

Chizmadia, FAUSA president 2019- 

2021, and his board accomplished 

so much during their two years of 

leadership, despite dealing with 

the ongoing challenges of Covid 

that were present throughout most 

of their term. Here are some highlights. 

• The successes of the first 

virtual (2020) and the first blended 

virtual and in-person (2021 Cincinnati) 

Annual Meetings. 

• A total re-make and update 

of our website https://fausa.org/. 

• The introduction of the very 

successful virtual silent auction platform, 

OneCause. 

• Record-breaking 2020 and 

2021 fundraising years and donations 

to our Annual Grant and FAU- 

SA’s diamond status as a donor to 

FAWCO’s 2020-2021 Target project. 

• A significant increase in 

FAUSA’s social media presence and 

posts. 

• FAUSA’s participation in Lunafest, 

the first traveling film festival 

featuring films by women, about 

women; thanks to Therese Hartwell 

for organizing. 

You’ll find more information about 

these and other topics in succeeding 

pages of Highlights.I encourage 

anyone who is interested in getting 

involved with FAUSA to join one of 

these groups...or start one in your 

area or if there is something you’d 

like to do that we don’t currently 

offer. 

Google Workspace is the platform 

used by the FAUSA board and 

volunteers for our internal communications, 

document sharing and 

archives. As users became more 

familiar with this platform, we used 

more of its benefits and efficiencies. 

For instance, during the board transition 

in October, instead of having 

to digitize information to share 

between outgoing and incoming 

board members, new board members 

immediately became the ‘owners’ 

of their predecessors’ email 

addresses and files, smoothing and 

speeding up the transition process. 

Being a member of FAUSA connects 

you with a fellowship of returning 

expats, who understand what it’s 

like to come home when ‘home’ is 

not the same, and when ‘home’ can 

also mean a place outside of North 

America! Our motto, “When you 

join FAUSA, you don’t have to leave 

your international life behind!”, ties 

in with the opportunities FAUSA 

members have to continue to participate 

in committees, teams and 

boards of our sister organizations, 

FAWCO and The FAWCO Foundation. 

We three organizations cooperate 

and work with one another to 

achieve mutual goals, while sharing 

the camaraderie of living or having 

experienced the expat life. 

So sit back, grab a cup of tea or a 

glass of wine and enjoy this review 

of FAUSA in 2021! 

Liz Janson 

President 

2

From the editor 

In the second year of the covid 

pandemic, FAUSA, like other 

organizations, struggled to return 

to normalcy. Some metro groups 

have begun to meet in person 

again—some requiring masks, 

some without masks if everyone is 

vaccinated, and some still meeting 

virtually. President Rick Chizmadia 

organized a hybrid Getaway, where 

members who chose to attend 

in person (vaccinations required) 

delighted in each other’s company, 

and other members could attend 

the Annual Meeting and auctions 

virtually. The focus on virtual gatherings 

has encouraged the creation 

of some new activity groups as well, 

and FAUSA’s membership numbers 

continued to increase during the 

year. 

In the 2021 Highlights, we have 

tried to give you a review of the 

year. There are articles and pictures 

from the Getaway, the projects we 

supported, and the activity and 

metro groups. We also focus on 

three “Inspiring People.” As it happens, 

this year the three women are 

all associate members. That is, they 

did not belong to a FAWCO club. 

However, their diverse stories were 

all heavily influenced by their experiences 

outside North America. 

There are many people to thank 

for their contributions to the 2021 

Highlights. First, I would like to 

thank all of those who contributed 

to this edition—especially our three 

“Inspiring People.” Rick Chizmadia 

deserves a huge thank you 

for his brilliant production of this 

publication. Finally, I would like to 

thank the FAUSA Board members, 

committee chairs, and group and 

activity leaders, all who help our 

members keep in touch with that 

life-changing experience of living 

overseas. 

Jane Indreland 

Editor 

3

From the Publisher 

This is the sixth issue of Highlights 

that I have designed and published 

for FAUSA and it is one of the most 

rewarding because it highlights the 

last year of my presidency and all of 

what our board accomplished. 

Navigating the organization 

through COVID-19 was not an 

easy task but we handled that task 

exceptionally well. We held more 

events than ever before including 

the 2021 in person/blended on-line 

Getaway all which is documented 

in this addition of Highlights Magazine. 

To produce and publish a magazine 

such as Highlights it takes an army 

of volunteers through out the year. 

I would like to thank the activity 

chairs who held events to give us 

material to report on. A record 

number of activities were held this 

year keeping our members engaged, 

some of which you will read 

about on these pages. 

Most importantly I need to give 

a big thank you to our Highlights 

editor Jane Indreland who spent 

countless hours compiling the 

pictures and text for the magazine. 

She is very thorough in her processes 

of researching and contacting 

people for content for you to read. 

Last year we made the Highlights 

Magazine a digital publication with 

an option to purchase a print copy. 

By offering a digital book it saved 

the organization printing and mailing 

costs and also saved trees. You 

were given a link to the digital magazine 

a clicked through the pages 

so it mimicked a real life book. 

This year we have added some new 

interactive elements to the magazine 

for those reading on-line. 

Through out the publication will 

find hyperlinks to websites, articles 

and emails. Some of these hyperlinks 

will take you to sites outside 

of the magazine. Others will take 

you to pages with in the document 

itself. 

For example the interactive elements 

in the table of contents you 

can click on the page number or 

title and it will take you to the page 

and article that you would like to 

read. If you would like to email a 

board member you can click on 

their name on the table of contents 

page and you can send and email. 

The same goes for page 8 the FAU- 

SA Movers and Shakers page.(try it 

by tapping on page 8 the FAUSA Movers 

and Shakers line preceding) If you are 

reading this on a computer you just 

hover your pointer over the subject 

and a link will appear. On your 

phone or tablet you will see boxes 

to tap on. 

In the print addition you will not 

have that interactivity but there are 

a few QR codes that will take you to 

websites. You just scan the QR with 

the camera in your phone, tap on 

the box that appears and you will 

be taken to that web page. 

I hope that you enjoy all the new 

features in this addition of Highlights 

as much as I did creating 

them. 

Rick Chizmadia 

Publisher 

4

leslietlfj@gmail.com 

Mid-Atlantic Region 

NY,NJ,PA,CT 

Regional Representative 

OPEN 

Mountain West Region 

MT,ID,WY,UT,CO 


Tessa Wheeler 

tlbbaker@q.com 

Pacific Northwest Region 

WA,OR,AK 


Michele Hendrikse DuBois 

michelefausa@gmail.com 

MC for Seattle 


michelefausa@gmail.com 

esoteroff@gmail.com 

MC for Phoenix 

Jo Brandt 

jobrandt1700@gmail.com 

Pacific Region 

HI, CA 


Representatives From Around the USA 

FAUSA REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES (RRs) AND METRO COORDINATORS (MCs) 

EASTERN US REPRESENTATIVE 

Suzanne MacNeil 

New England Region 

ME, VT, NH, MA, RI 

MC for Boston 

Alli Allmendinger 

Mid-Atlantic Region 

NY, NJ, PA, CT 

MC for New York City 

Lisa O’Hearn 

Capital Region 

MD, DE, DC, VA, WV 

MC for Washington DC 

Diane Lange 

Great Lakes Region 

MI, WI, IL, IN, OH, KY 

Virtual Rep. 

Open 

MC for Cincinnati 

Rick Chizmadia 

MC for Detroit 

Open 

MC for Chicago 

Open 

Great Plains Region 

MN, IA, ND, SD, ND, NE, OK, MO, KS 

Virtual Rep. 

Linda Harvan 

Southeast Region 

NC, SC, GA, AL, TN, MS, AR, LA 

Virtual Florida Rep. 

Yolanda Henry 

MC for Atlanta 

Sue Ripp 

MC for Charlotte, SC 

Christine Collins 

MC for Nashville 


WESTERN US/CANADA REPRESENTATIVE 

Therese Hartwell 

Mountain West Region 

MT, ID, WY, UT, CO 

MC for Beartooth Mountain Area 

Jane Indreland 

MC for Boulder/Broomfield/Longmont 

Liz Janson 

MC for Colorado Springs 

Linda Boren 

MC for Livingston/Bozeman 

Priscilla Dysart 

MC for Denver 

Open 

Pacific Northwest Region 

WA, OR, AK 

MC for Seattle 


Southwest Region 

CA, AZ, NM, HI, TX, NV 

MC for Austin 

Elisabeth Soteroff 

MC for Dallas/Ft. Worth 

Elsie Bose 

MC for Houston 

Patricia Lawrence 

MC for Phoenix 

Jo Brandt 

MC for California South 

Open 

MC for California North 

Open 

Canada 

Yolanda Henry 

If you would like to become a regional or 

metro coordinator please contact: 

membership@fausa.org 

5

FAUSA’s board 

Liz Janson 

President 

Liz Janson was elected President of FAUSA at 

the 2021 Annual Meeting in Cincinnati, OH. 

She served on the FAUSA board as 1st VP 

Communications (2019-2021) and as FAWCO 

Club Liaison (2018-2019). She has been involved 

in various ways and to various degrees 

in the three FAWCO sister organizations for 

many years: as FAWCO rep for and president 

of the Munich International Women’s Club, 

secretary for The FAWCO Foundation board 

(2015-2017), nominating committees for The 

FAWCO Foundation (2015) and FAWCO 

(2019), and current member The FAWCO 

Foundation’s Archives team. She moved back 

to the US (Boulder, CO) in 2017 having joined 

FAUSA a year before her move. Liz has lived 

abroad for a total of 15 years in the USSR, the 

UK, China and Germany. 

Liz is a beekeeper currently working on her 

master beekeeper’s certification. She has 

been married to Eric for 42 years, has three 

sons in San Francisco, Santa Fe and Austria, 

and three grandchildren. 

Brenda Brinkley 

First Vice-President 

Brenda is a native Texan but has also lived in 

Phoenix and Northern Virginia (twice). She 

joinedFAWCO in 2016 and quickly became 

active in the Bern, Switzerland, American 

Women’s Club. Starting off as the webmaster 

and then president, she quickly made many 

new friends and learned about thephilanthropy 

and camaraderie of FAWCO. When she 

returned to NorthernVirginia in 2018, she immediately 

joined FAUSA. When the opportunity 

to help the FAUSA board came available, 

she became the newsletter editor and has enjoyed 

it since November 2019. Brenda retired 

from her career (for the second time) of sales, 

and then executive administrator in July 2021, 

and considers the opportunity to serve as 1st 

Vice President a great honor. Brenda and her 

husband of 35 years live in the Houston area 

but also spend time at their retirement getaway 

in the Allegheny mountains of Virginia. 

Yolanda Henry 

Second Vice-President 

Yolanda has traveled extensively and lived 

abroad for many years as her husband Mike 

took on various international assignments. In 

the early nineties they had a three-year posting 

to Cheshire in the UK. In 1999, an aborted 

move to Japan turned out to be Singapore, 

with a final posting to London, England for 

over 4 years before retiring to Canada in late 

2006. 

After joining FAUSA in 2007, Yolanda served 

for 2 years as VP Membership (2009-11) and 2 

further years as VP Communications (2011- 

2013). More recently Yolanda was the newsletter 

editor (2017-2019) and is currently in her 

second term as 2nd VP Membership. She created 

and encouraged many online activities 

for FAUSA before and during the pandemic. 

Yolanda is also the Chair of Tabitha Foundation 

Canada, a charity she became passionately 

involved with when living in Singapore. 

In addition to overseeing the board, she also 

travels to Cambodia every few years with 

teams of volunteers to build houses for destitute 

families. 

Yolanda and Mike live in Niagara-on-the-Lake, 

Ontario when the weather is nice, and 

migrate to Florida for the winter. They have 

three third culture kids, Kendryth, Arden and 

Christopher, and four grandchildren. She 

and her husband Mike have attended many 

of the FAUSA Getaways since returning from 

abroad. 

6

FAUSA’s board 

She is also involved with her sorority alumnae 

association and Rotary. 

Of course, travel is her passion--her obsession 

really. She had her colors done this year. She 

is a winter. LOL. 

Kathy Limbaugh 

Treasurer 

Kathy was born in Brazil and an early adopter 

of being a global nomad! She loves to travel, 

meet new people and be immersed in new 

cultures. Professionally, she was a logistics 

and supply management consultant for the 

Oil, Gas, Mining and Metals industry. Personally, 

she likes to ski, horseback ride, play 

golf, tennis and platform tennis and has two 

teenage daughters and a fantastic husband 

who tries to keep her feet on the ground. No 

chance. 

Leslie Nelson 

Secretary 

Leslie has worked for American Express Travel 

& Lifestyle Services in the cruise and tour 

department for five years. She is a “Travel 

Insider” for Dubai, Australia and private jets. 

Her time with FAUSA has been active, serving 

as secretary for 2 terms, then FAWCO Liaison 

for a term and now going back to secretary. 


FAWCO Liaison 

Suzanne MacNeil and her husband Tim returned 

to the U.S. in December 2019, moving 

back to Nashville where they lived prior to 

their expat life in The Hague, Netherlands. 

They left the U.S. because Tim had accepted 

a position in 2013 with an American company 

that had developed a medical device 

for cardiac patients. Looking for her tribe, 

Suzanne found the AWC The Hague and 

enjoyed the social and philanthropic opportunities 

the club offered. During her time in the 

club, Suzanne took on numerous leadership 

roles including the presidency, editing the 

monthly magazine, Going Dutch, editor of the 

weekly eNews, and serving on, and chairing, 

several committees. She looks forward to 

working with FAWCO clubs and their members 

returning to the U.S. and helping them 

with repatriation with the support of FAUSA, 

whose members understand the challenges 

of leaving behind an expat life. 


Parliamentarian 

Jennifer has been a member of FAUSA since 

2019 when she repatriated from Germany 

where she was a member of AWC Berlin. 

Jennifer was a member of AWC Berlin for 

four years and served on the Board as Treasurer 

from 2016-2017 as well as serving as 

the under-40 club coordinator for two years 

before moving back to the USA. Originally 

from New Jersey, she has also lived in Rhode 

Island, Virginia and now Florida. In addition to 

FAWCO She has done Volunteer/ Humanitarian 

work with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, 

Democrats Abroad, Malteser (German Red 

Cross) and has her MBA in Corporate Social 

Responsibility and Non-Profit Management. 

When she is not engaged with FAUSA she 

enjoys baking and exploring with her husband 

and golden retriever. 

Susan Frick 

Philanthropy 

Please turn to page twenty three to meet our 

new Directory of Philanthropy 

7

fausa’s movers & shakers 

Committee Chairs 

Archivist 

Historian 

Louise Greeley-Copley 

Nancy Thornley 

Newsletter Nicole Grillo 

Nominating Janet Darrow 

Virtual Activities Jennifer Padfield (Acting) 

Social Media Jennifer Padfield 

Website 

Sunshine 

Debbie Hastings 

Judy Treanor 

Getaway Committee 

Chair Rick Chizmadia 

Carolyn Ludwig 

Cindy Adams 

Telephone Greeters 

Therese Hartwell 

Suzanne McNeil 

FAUSA Committee and Activity Chairs 

Activity Chairs 

Mah Jongg Michele Hendrikse Dubois 

Makers Craft Group Liz Janson 

Wine Time with Amy Amy Patrick 

Bridge Yolanda Henry 

Book Group #1 Yolanda Henry 

Book Group #2 Beth Arena 

Book Group #3 Marg McCue 

Pacific Northwest 

Book Club Michele Hendrikse Dubois 

What in the World Book Club Leslie Nelson 

Texas Book Club Brenda Brinkley 

Film Group Jennifer Padfield 

FAUSA in Motion Michele Hendrikse Dubois 

LunaFest 2021 

The LUNAFEST film fundraiser in April 2021, proposed and orchestrated 

by Therese Hartwell (Austin Metro Group) raised more than 

$6000 for The FAWCO Foundation Target Project. These funds 

combined with previous FAUSA donations of $4000 placed us in the 

Diamond category on The Foundation donor wall for the second 

consecutive Target Project cycle. The 2021 LUNAFEST film festival 

consisted of the premieres of seven new films made by women, 

about women, giving a voice to women’s stories. Their focus on inspiration, 

empowerment and advocacy featured strong women who 

are igniting change and pushing boundaries. 

This extra fundraiser is an example of the power of FAUSA individuals 

and members working together to achieve so much. If you or 

your metro group has an idea for supporting a cause with any kind 

of fundraising or support, please reach out to Sue Frick or any member 

of the board. 

8

Fausa’s active local groups 

News From Around the USA 

While FAUSA does not have local clubs, 

many areas have active local groups. These 

groups allow FAUSA members in a particular 

area not only to enjoy the benefits of national 

FAUSA membership, but also to experience 

a local group where people are close enough 

to meet in person. In 2020 the COVID-19 

pandemic put activities on-line making 

local activities accessible to people beyond 

the geographical metro area. The beauty 

of FAUSA active groups is that they can be 

whatever the members want. The activities 

of these groups include book clubs, social 

events, outings and philanthropic endeavors, 

depending on the desires of the members. 

If there is not an active group in your area, 

consider starting one and acting as the Metro 

Coordinator. You can find other members in 

your area in the Membership Directory in the 

Members Only section of the website. And 

you can recruit members as Priscilla Dysart 

has so effectively done in Montana (see write 

up below.) If you have questions or need assistance, 

contact the Second VP of Membership 

at membership@fausa.org. Read what 

some of the FAUSA active groups have done 

over the last year. 

FAUSA LIVINGSTON/BOZEMAN 

From Priscilla Dysart 

sign of aging eyes. We look forward to the 

time we can gather together in person as 

we used to. 

FAUSA MID FITS 

From Linda Harvan 

The Mid Fits are a group of FAUSA members 

who generally live in the middle of the 

country and who do not live close to a larger 

group of members. We meet via Zoom 

usually once per month for a social visit to 

get to know each other and to talk about 

FAUSA, family, travel, and other topics of 

mutual interest. 

FAUSA NYC From Lisa O’Hearn 

WASHINGTON DC METRO AREA 

This year we tried a new hybrid way of 

meeting and staying in touch. In some 

months, we meet at a member’s home for 

lunch, socializing and book discussion. 

Other months, we meet via Zoom, alternating 

between Sundays and Wednesdays to 

accommodate our different life situations. 

Our meetings have a period for announcements, 

greeting new members, catching 

up, plus a Getting to Know You segment 

where one member is highlighted, followed 

by a dynamic discussion of the 

selected book. 

Our in-person Summertime Party with 

Spouses was a grand success! We plan an 

in-person Holiday Party with Spouses in 

December. 

Joan, Lee, Phoebe, Liz, Judy and Milvia 

enjoying a meeting at Phoebe’s home. 

COLORADO REGIONAL GROUP 

From Liz Janson 

The Livingston/Bozeman (MT) FAUSA group 

has been having a 5 pm Zoom Social monthly. 

We vary from three to eight members 

each time, allowing us to keep in touch with 

each other and welcome new members. The 

annual summer BBQ with spouses took place 

on a particularly windy evening, sending us 

indoors. The Christmas Party will take place 

December 12 in the afternoon. Everyone 

appreciates returning home before dark – 

The future looks bright for our NYC Metro 

area group! This group was resurrected 

in 2020 and includes members living in 

NY, NJ and CT. We’ve connected through 

Zoom calls, and finally, an in-person meetup 

for lunch at the City Winery. We’re 

meeting up again in December to enjoy 

the Christmas Markets and decorations 

in NYC. Our little group began with eight 

members ... and have grown to 12! We’re 

looking forward to more fun in 2022! 

Colorado FAUSA members gathered virtually 

for a Holiday Happy Hour in December 

2021. We hope to be able to meet in 

person for tours and philanthropy events 

in 2022. 

People in the photo, left to right: Julie 

Mowat, Liz Janson, Kate Houck Lehnert, 

Chris Czyszczewski, Laurie Brooks 

9

2021 getaway 

Cincinnati, Ohio 

After a year of only virtual activities, 

FAUSA was able its 2021 Getaway in the 

Queen City for the second time. The 

timing was just right as COVID -19 cases 

were at a low point and we were able to 

hold the event safely. 36 FAUSA members 

who attended were treated to three 

days of Cincinnati hospitality thanks to 

the planning committee of Rick Chizmadia, 

Caroline Ludgwig and Cindy Adams. 

The Getaway began with an opening 

dinner at the home of RIck Chizmadia 

& Richard Hobson. Everyone was so 

grateful to see each other after a years 

absence and fun eating, drinking and 

taking photos in the photo booth. 

On Friday we explored the Over the 

Rhine portion of the city by taking the 

street car and walking. We learned 

about the German and beer making history 

of the area on a walking tour above 

and below ground. We toured Rookwood 

Potter, St Francis Serif Church and 

went into the old beer tunnels of the city 

to see graves of early settlers. We toured 

Music Hall which was build in the 1880’s 

for the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra 

and ate lunch at Tafts Ale House. To 

keep everyone safe we did not go to 

the usual restaurants on our own but 

had a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in 

Covington, Ky with a beautiful view of the 

Cincinnati Skyline. 

Saturday the annual meeting was held 

in the Rookwood room of the art deco 

Netherland Plaza Hotel. For the first 

time we broadcast the meeting on zoom 

where people could attend both in 

person and virtually. Our guest speaker 

10

2021 getaway 


was Jennifer McKettrick spoke about 

Pro Kids and the CASA program that 

helps abused and neglected children. 

The new board was unanimously 

elected and Rick present each member 

of his board with gifts of thanks 

and all board members who were 

rolling off were given service awards. 

That evening we reconvened for our 

Gala and first-ever blended in personon-line 

FUNdraiser: the attendees 

were able to bid on silent auction 

items for a full week in advance by 

using a mobile fundraising platform. 

There were a mix of items and talents 

to bid on. The items were then put 

on display at the gala and you could 

bid from your phone against others 

from around the world. An on-line 

wine tasting was led by Amy whilst 

the Getaway attendees were eating 

dinner. 

Our fabulous auctioneer Carol-Lyn McKelvey 

once again led the live auction. Rick 

Chizmadia led the raise the thermometer 

campaign and raised $11,000. 

We had many generous donors participating 

in person and on-line which resulted 

in FAUSA raising a record amount of 

over $20,000. 

One of the highlights of the evening was 

a performance by Rick Chizmadia’s Band 

- Squeeze Play. We were entertained by 

the marvelous music and were able to 

dance and have a good time. Honorary 

awards were given to Carol and Sal Lalani 

and Kathy and Tony Coughlan for their 

generous contributions to FAUSA over 

the years. The ultimate climax of the 

evening was the passing of the tierra, 

gavel and boa from outgoing president 

Rick Chizmadia to Liz Janson. 

The entire Getaway was so much fun and 

so successful everyone returned to the 

communities reinvigorated and eagerly 

waiting next years getaway! 

11

fausa’s virtual activity groups 


As a member of FAUSA there are many 

virtual activities that you can participate 

in. There are: FAUSA in Motion, FAUSA 

Makers Crafts Group, Wine Time with Amy, 

FAUSA Mah Jongg, FAWCO Club Reunion 

Groups social hours, FAUSA Metro and 

Regional Groups social hours, seven book 

groups and we just began a bridge club. 

If you have any ideas of other activities 

that you would like, please contact our 

Social Activities Director at: activities@ 

fausa.org 

FAUSA In Motion 

Over the past 12-month period, FAUSA 

members have collectively reported over 

600 miles of golfing, hiking, kayaking, 

walking, skiing, dancing, and playing pickleball 

among other activities. The monthly 

miles are recorded as part of the FAUSA in 

Motion and reported to FAWCO for their 

FAWCO in Motion initiative. 

Mah Jongg 

FAUSA’s Mah Jongg Group played regularly throughout 2021. While the group originally played weekly, with more people able to 

leave their homes and participate in other activities the schedule was reduced to twice per month. The group has 8 fairly regular 

players with an average of 4 playing each week. The players chat on Zoom while playing together on-line at www.myjongg.net. 

One of the great features of playing on-line is that players can join when convenient and there is not a minimum number of players 

needed to play. If someone is running late or needs to leave early, no problem! If they only have time to “drop in” for one game, 

they can. 

12

fausa’s virtual activity groups 


Wine Time With Amy 

Wine Time is held one Saturday each 

month, and participants routinely 

discover wines that they either never 

thought to try or had never seen 

before. So far this year, we’ve created 

a few Torrontes and Zinfandel lovers; 

explored the effects of climate variation 

on winemaking in Chile and Australia; 

and found that local wines from 

all across the USA were just as nice as 

wines from well-known wine regions. 

We’ve explored new and unexpected 

wine and food pairings, useful 

for future dinner parties and holiday 

gatherings. We’re looking forward to 

continuing to learn about wine and 

catching up with friends across the 

country in 2022! 

The FAUSA Makers Crafts group has 

been meeting every other week for 

over a year. Each of us works on and 

shares her own project, while chatting 

and catching up. From five to eight 

members gather to work on their own 

projects: knitting, quilting, crocheting, 

paper crafts, scrapbooking, and 

mending. 

FAUSA Makers Crafts Group 

13

fausa’s virtual activities groups 

FAUSA’s BOOK CLUBS 

On-line book Clubs are one of the staples 

of FAUSA’s on line activities. Book Clubs are 

very popular for our members. Currently 

we have eight book clubs. We are going to 

highlight three of those clubs in this issue. In 

addition we have Online Book Club 2, Online 

Book Club 3, Washington DC Region, What in 

the World Book Club. 

Pacific Northwest Book Club 

Due to Washington State’s COVID mandates 

and recommendations, the PNW group did 

not meet in person during 2021 except for 

one book club meeting held outside during 

the summer. We hope to start up our activities 

again in 2022 

A favorite read of 2021 was The Alice Network 

by Kate Quinn. The historical fiction book 

follows the lives of women spies during WWI. 

The group agreed that, in general, we really 

enjoy historical fiction, especially when the 

story is compelling and the characters are 

well defined. We discussed several topics 

related to the book including how the events 

affected the various characters differently and 

the historical tendency to underestimating 

women which, in this story, makes the women 

exceptionally successful spies. 

Book Trailer for THE ALICE NETWORK by 

Kate Quinn - YouTube 

Houston/Austin Book Club 

The Houston/Austin group created a Zoom 

book club in April 2021. We meet the third 

Wednesday of each month at 6pm (Central). 

The new book group started in April but took 

some time off during the summer for travel. 

Some of the books we have read this year 

are Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult, The 

Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, and The Dutch 

House by Ann Patchett. Upcoming books 

include The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, 

Almost American Girl: An Illustrated 

Memoir by Robin Ha, and Years of Wonder by 

Geraldine Brooks. 

The Original Book Club, est. 2012 

This past year we welcomed two new members, 

Vicki Pepper and Michele Warner. Vicky 

replaces Vivi Katsouleris, who went back to 

school and couldn’t fit into her schedule. 

The remaining members are Nancy Thornley, 

Jane Indreland, Nan de Laubadere, Karen 

Walker and Yolanda Henry. We’ve read a 

wide variety of fiction and non-fiction books 

in the past year. Some that stand out are The 

Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, The Night 

Watchman by Louise Erdrich, Caste by Isabel 

Wilkerson, and All that is Bright and Gone by 

Elizabeth Nellums, who visited our group in 

November. 

Texas is a big state, so having a zoom book 

group that includes both Houston and Austin 

has been a great way to keep in touch with 

our sister FAUSA members even though we 

are miles apart. 

For more information (or if you’d like to join), 

please contact Brenda Brinkley at brenbrink@ 

gmail.com. 

14

fausa’s virtual activities groups 

OTHER ACTIVITIES 

Film Club 

Our film club was established in 2021 and 

follows the layout of a traditional book club. 

Each month we choose a film from one of the 

streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon 

Video, etc. and meet on the last Wednesday 

of each month where we chat and discuss. So 

far this year we have watched Quo Vadis Aida, 

White Tiger and the Life Ahead. We took 

a short break for summer but have ramped 

back up again and always look forward to 

having new members join us! 

FAUSA Virtual Road Trip 

https://www.myvirtualmission.com/missions/116709/fausa-road-trip 

The FAUSA Road Trip was an extension of the 

FAWCO Around the World Virtual Mission 

which took place in 2020. That trip started in 

London, England and finished 26,682 miles 

later in New York City. On June 1st 2021, two 

teams departed from the heart of New York 

City for a trip around the United States and 

Canada. Team FAUSA had 23 participants 

and Team FAWCO just 13. Miles were accrued 

as members walked, ran, peddled and 

paddled each day. The teams had 214 days 

to complete the 9874 miles to the finish line 

in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the same time, it was 

hoped that the Virtual Mission would raise 

$2000 for FAUSA’s philanthropic fund. 

Scan this code to see 

the virtual road trip 

Clearly some people took this very seriously, 

racking up the miles. As of November 22nd, 

here are the leaderboards: 

Team FAUSA 

1. Margaret McCue 1086 miles 

2. Yolanda Henry 1071 miles 

3. Nan de Laubadere 1034 miles 

4. Marilee Watts 806 miles 

5. Dale Koepenick 715 miles 

6. Aurora Silvestri 675 miles 

7. Liz Janson 664 miles 

8. Susan Frick 611 miles 

9. Julie Lehr 432 miles 

10. Linda Harvan 397 miles 

Team FAWCO 

1. Eric Janson 1752 miles 

2. Nancy Clayton 1195 miles 

3. Kim Mousseron 586 miles 

4. Jonelle Lemcke 565 miles 

5. Michelle van der Straaten 548 miles 

6. Emily van Eerten 514 miles 

7. Melanie Fick 500 miles 

8. Anne Marie Morrow 265 miles 

9. Hollie Nielson 246 miles 

10. Mary Lou 184 miles 

Bridge Club 

The FAUSA bridge group started playing 

in November 2020. It was another virtual 

activity we could offer our members in 

lockdown during the pandemic. We currently 

have 7 participants who take turns playing 

each Friday afternoon. Our abilities range 

from novice to seriously advanced players, 

but in FAUSA bridge we don’t get too serious. 

By chatting on Zoom at the same time, we 

can exchange news, gossip, and help with 

bidding. It really is Relaxed Bridge as the sign 

above the table says. New players are very 

welcome. Contact membership@fausa.org 

to join. 

How were the miles accrued? 

Outdoor walking 6651 miles, Step counting: 2861 miles, Indoor cycling: 2098 miles 

Outdoor cycling: 1477 miles, Indoor Walking: 1024 miles 

15

Communications 

How You Receive Our News 

FAUSA Website 

Last year at the virtual getaway you were given a sneak peak at the new website being developed. After receiving feedback from the conference, 

we tweaked the development and, in early 2021, the fully redesigned website was launched! It featured a new and expanded Members 

Only section as well as up-to-date news and activities, both regionally and nationally. 

Newsletter 

Brenda Brinkley, Nicole Grillo 

FAUSA publishes a monthly newsletter to 

keep members up to date on current and 

upcoming FAUSA events and local activities. 

FAUSA knows that coming back to North 

America can be a hard transition, and we are 

here to help. The newsletter includes information 

that we hope you find useful, such as 

• Philanthropic work that FAUSA sup 

ports 

• Notable happenings in FAWCO and 

The FAWCO Foundation 

• FAUSA’s Annual Grant project 

• Events such as annual meetings and 

Getaways 

• Book clubs 

• Upcoming meetings in your area 

• Virtual events such as mahjongg, 

wine tasting and so much more. 

We are currently working to improve the 

newsletter to make it shorter and easier to 

navigate. We would like to link articles in the 

newsletter to our website so you can conveniently 

access additional details. Our goal 

is to ensure that FAUSA members have the 

most up-to-date information from FAUSA and 

from your FAUSA community. 

We truly hope the FAUSA newsletter is a 

source of information that is helpful to each 

of you. 

Note: Brenda was elected as First Vice-President, and 

Nicole Grillo is the new newsletter editor. 

Social Media 


FAUSA’s Social Media presence had previously 

been set up on all popular channels such as Facebook, 

Instagram and Pinterest, but was untouched 

for a while. In 2020 Karen succeeded in building up 

these feeds, implement a working posting schedule 

and to slowly expand to a fully intersectional social 

media strategy. In March 2021 Jennifer Padfield 

took over the social media accounts and continued 

to build on the previous strategies. 

The Social Media strategy was kept simple at first. 

Three goals were determined to be formulated in 

more precise targets over the next year to be set as 

our working points: 

• Increase member engagement 

• Draw Attention to our club efforts 

• Engage with other Charities/ Clubs with 

similar efforts 

• Gain new members 

In this framework we set recurring topics and 

hashtags to post accordingly and make coming up 

with content ideas easier for the start. This were: 

• Implement recurring content staples 

(engaging hashtags, National Days, etc.) 

• Member Highlights 

• FAUSA Facts 

• Travel Tips (upcoming) 

• Focus attention to American-based 

interest 

• Connecting with sister clubs and other 

affiliated organizations by reposting their 

activities and values 

• Integrate group and member activities 

more 

• Explore potential sponsorship 

opportunities 

We are currently posting 3-5 times a week with 

original content in addition to up to 5 reposts of 

third-party content (FAWCO, other sister clubs, 

UN, UNwomen etc.). On Instagram the number of 

reposts is even higher as we create content to our 

stories and are more flexible in reposting other 

accounts’ posts due to the visibility limit of 24 hours 

of IG stories. 

With all efforts mentioned above we achieved a rise 

in all follower numbers. On Instagram we almost 

doubled our follower number from 134 to 218, while 

our Facebook followers grew from 196 to 216. 

For the upcoming year we are working on formulating 

more precise social media content calendars, 

finding ways to better engage with our member 

clubs and how to integrate some of our fundraising 

ideas to our social media platforms with the goal 

of increasing outside contributions to FAUSA and 

FAWCO Philanthropic efforts. 

We are always interested in further engagement 

with our members, and open to better understanding 

what content they enjoy viewing on our 

platforms. Please contact socialmedia@fausa.org 

With any photos and stories you would like to see 

and share. 

16

FAUSA’s inspiring People 

KATE HOUCK LEHNERT 

Although Boulder Colorado was her family 

home, Kate and her 5 siblings grew up 

with travel in their bones. Their parents 

traveled to a small town New Zealand’s 

South Island very frequently, where they 

became good friends with a man who 

had Maori ancestry, and their children 

followed in their wandering footsteps. 

When Kate attended St. Mary’s College 

in Maryland, where she studied political 

science and anthropology, she took 

advantage of the study abroad program 

and spent her semester in Nepal. 

After graduation, Kate returned to Nepal, 

volunteered in Katmandu for a year. It 

was an intense and formative experience 

for a young woman just out of school and 

living on her own. She got to know herself 

but felt a little isolated. Although she 

spoke some Nepali, it was not enough 

to totally integrate into society. She also 

realized that living in a country with a 

different socioeconomic structure was a 

bit of escapism for her. 

In Nepal, Kate volunteered in a shelter 

for women who had escaped or were 

sold off from prostitution. They had 

come to Katmandu because their families 

wouldn’t accept them back. They needed 

housing and jobs, and Kate’s was to 

find work for them. There was a stigma in 

hiring these women, but Kate found that 

being a Westerner helped open doors 

for her. The shop owners, especially the 

men, were more willing to talk to her than 

a policewoman, for instance. In addition 

to finding employment for the women, 

Kate also visited them later to make sure 

things were going well. 

There were never any big problems. They 

would generally try to find women owned 

businesses, such as handicraft enterprises 

or weaving factories. One Nepalese 

woman had established an especially 

helpful factory that included day care and 

a school for the women’s children. 

While living in Nepal, Kate also took the 

opportunity for trekking and adventuring 

on her own. During this time, the Maoists 

were active, and the trekkers were 

occasionally stopped by them and asked 

for a bribe, the amount of which depended 

on the apparent wealth of the group. 

After taking the negotiated amount, the 

Maoists gave the tourists a receipt to be 

shown in case they were stopped again. 

Unfortunately, before she could quite finish 

her year, Kate became very ill and had 

to return home. Nepal always remains in 

her heart, and she hopes to return with 

her young daughter and husband in the 

future. 

Kate describes herself as someone who 

lives to work rather than one who works 

to live. Fortunately, her work as for a 

travel company, Home and Abroad, 

and then for internet start-ups, in legal 

compliance and online training in San 

Francisco gave her the opportunity to 

travel. While in San Francisco, she also 

met her husband to be, Konrad Lehnert, 

a University of Colorado physics professor. 

The two travelled together to physics 

conferences in many different countries. 

Kate was able to continue her work 

remotely from overseas. Sometimes, this 

involved late night meetings because of 

the time differences, but the benefit was 

that her days were free to explore locally. 

Meeting physicists through her husband, 

Kate has learned much about this branch 

of science herself. 

Her favorite overseas experience was 

several months in Delft, The Netherlands, 

when Konrad had a sabbatical. They had 

just become engaged. They made many 

friends there, and a number of Dutch 

people attended their wedding. 

Kate’s life took a different turn 10 years 

later with the arrival of their daughter, 

Pippa. Kate is currently taking time off 

from paid work to raise her 2 ½ year old 

little girl. With the arrival of Google, Apple 

and Facebook, Boulder has become 

more cosmopolitan, and Kate and Pippa 

have met new friends from other countries 

at library story time. Kate, Konrad 

and Pippa still travel together whenever 

they can. 

When asked about her passion, Kate says 

that, of course her family comes first, 

but secondly, her passion is travelling, 

and if possible, she and Konrad hope 

to someday spend part of retirement in 

New Zealand and other places around 

the world they have grown to love. 

17


KELSEY MCKAY 

Early Influences 

Although I was born in Florida, our family quickly 

moved to Texas--followed by Australia, England 

and Boston. In 1990 we transferred to Jakarta, 

Indonesia, where we lived for 8 years. I graduated 

from the Jakarta International School, and 

I believe that seeing the realities of developing 

cultures and countries connected and drew me 

to both suffering and natural joy. 

After high school, I attended the University of 

Texas. I majored in psychology with a focus on 

research, statistics and how they were used to 

impact social issues. At the time, I didn’t realize 

that I had fallen into what would be my career. 

After college, I was grateful to stay in Austin for 

law school. 

Currently, I live in Austin with my husband Jared 

and an (almost) 11-year old daughter and (almost) 

9-year old son. 

Years as a Prosecutor 

In 2005 I started working as a prosecutor and 

spent the next 12 years navigating the world of 

criminal justice and learning everything I could 

about violent crime. I became a subject-matter 

expert in asphyxiation related crimes. Somewhere 

during that time (2010 to 2012) my husband 

Jared and I had two children and started a 

real estate and renovation business! 

At first, I thought becoming a prosecutor was 

essentially a way to do volunteer work that I was 

passionate about but with benefits, a paycheck 

and the chance be an adult. Over the years, I realized 

that my involvement was not as impactful 

on a victim or the broken system as I had hoped. 

I started to see routine injustice and failures that 

were ignored over and over again at the cost of 

people and lives. At first, I always believed that 

victims were only hurt by criminals who abused 

them. In time, I learned that punishment often 

came from the trauma of the system that failed 

to protect them in a meaningful way. 

I focused my energy on the very specific topic of 

strangulation and asphyxiation related crimes, 

which forced me to understand the issues and 

challenges that surround this often-misunderstood 

type of violence. 

An Unjust Justice System 

When I left prosecution, I worried about the 

survivors who might not get justice, but I knew that 

meaningful change could not occur one case at a 

time. Talking to and learning from survivors taught 

me how to create policy that supports safety rather 

than punishes survival. 

My passion is validation of truth. The tagline for 

my new non-profit is Justice is Truth in Action. It’s 

difficult, because this seems like such a simple 

concept and an achievable goal—but when there 

is an uneven playing field that punishes survivors, 

it is hard to accomplish. 

Domestic abusers and serial predators are entirely 

underestimated by the court system. As skilled 

manipulators, they often drive the narrative and 

avoid accountability. I see predators manipulate 

law enforcement, communities and judges, and 

I worry that our current system often empowers 

them by punishing victims. 

An overwhelming number of women in prison are 

convicted of crimes only because there was no 

other alternative for survival. The criminal justice 

system quickly teaches victims that they cannot 

trust, rely upon or depend on it for safety. 

Hope for the Future 

I hope we see change that provides the vulnerable 

with a more consistent and reliable system so they 

can live in a world that is safe for them and their 

children. Gender based violence is seen as just a 

women’s issue—because women can’t make men 

stop abusing them. Only men can do that. Men 

don’t fear women the way women fear men. So, 

when the first responder to a gender-based crime 

is a male with a gun, there is an automatic barrier, 

and it is the role of an officer (not a traumatized 

victim) to bridge that gap. 

The task of fixing a broken system feels insurmountable 

and yet so absolutely necessary at the 

same time. I cannot do it alone, but I am driven by 

the strength and survival of others who live with 

so much more trauma and pain then I’ve had to 

endure. 

I am hopeful that if we start having more meaningful 

conversations about gender, race, sexual 

violence and domestic abuse that we can move 

the needle forward. When I have 8 hours to train 

police officers and to listen to the things that 

are preventing them from seeing the world from 

a different lens, we make progress. I’ve had too 

many experienced, older, white male police officers 

change their view after training to give up. 

Evidenced Based Policy 

There is a massive cavity in how we count the prevalence 

of gender-based violence: femicide, rape, 

strangulation, human trafficking, sexually motivated 

crimes, etc. As we discover more holes in the reporting 

system, we see that the data we have used 

to drive policy was not an accurate measure of the 

problem. Unfortunately, until we can even say how 

many women are raped, killed and abuse, we continue 

to create laws and policy from disinformation 

and biased views. 

The intersection of gender and race is particularly 

concerning as women of color are at a significantly 

higher risk to be sexually assaulted, abused 

and murdered. There need to be more culturally 

informed programs to provide access to justice and 

safety. 

Fifteen years ago, I discovered that our community 

was not responding to strangulation crimes in a 

uniform or informed way. As I found solutions, I 

have traveled the country to help the criminal justice 

system better respond to these crimes. Seeing 

that the same problem exists everywhere allows the 

solutions I’ve developed to be utilized universally. 

We need to humanize populations who face adversity 

and struggle as a result of trauma and penalize 

true offenders who are dangerous and pose a 

risk to our safety. Right now, we see anyone who 

commits any type of crime as a criminal rather than 

making a distinction between people and dangerous 

criminals. As a result, survivors get caught up in 

the penal system as they navigate survival. 

It is important for policy to be evidence-based 

so that we can solve real problems with authentic 

solutions. Otherwise, we are just making the same 

mistakes over and over again and calling it a solution. 

I see this all the time when justice is attached 

to politics, power or money—avoiding transparency 

and accountability cover up truth and progress. 

At RESPOND Against Violence, we hope to create 

sustainable change through proven practice. 

Respond Against Violence 

After decades of work on the front lines, Kelsey 

McKay established RESPOND Against Violence 

“to fill identified gaps in the system that impede 

justice, healing, and advancement of reform.” It 

is committed to “improving systemic response to 

violence and trauma by facilitating solutions that 

move professionals, individuals and communities 

from awareness to action.” Visit the website at 

respondagainstviolence.org. 

18


JANE RITSKIES Founder of Tabitha 

Janne’s story is one of courage and sacrifice. 

Upon finishing her education, she 

committed to a life of service. She lived 

and worked in countries in need until 

she settled in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in 

1992 working with World Vision as a training 

manager. It wasn’t long after, in 1994, 

that Janne established Tabitha to help 

the poorest of the poor in Cambodia. 

Her vision was to create a partnership 

with rural families within communities 

greatly affected by years of civil war and 

neglect. The goal was to build dignity for 

those who found their self worth lacking. 

Janne tells volunteer house-build teams 

stories of having to be home before dark 

to avoid the indiscriminate shootings by 

the Khmer Rouge who came into the city 

at night. She shares stories of Tabitha 

staff, survivors of the genocide, and their 

struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. 

She shares stories of impoverished 

families in the countryside who keep 

poison within reach because they are 

prepared to take their lives before being 

subjected to the horrors of the genocide 

again. 

Janne’s faith gave her the courage to 

build Tabitha in response to her disillusionment 

with mainstream NGOs operating 

in Cambodia. Her faith also led to the 

adoption of her daughter Miriam. 

When Janne was presented with the 

improbable task of finding parents for a 

young orphaned Cambodian baby who 

had tested positive for HIV, she turned to 

God and prayed for help. Janne recalls 

His response in a letter she wrote for her 

daughter Miriam, “You take her, He said. 

Like most people, I don’t always like to 

hear what God has to say – how can I 

take her? My work is too consuming, I will 

not have the time to be with her? How 

will I pay for all the things she needs, I 

have no money? I am too old, already 

50 years and I am not married – I cannot 

play with her as I should? What if she 

dies, how will I handle the pain? and on 

and on – but God’s voice never changed 

– take her, she is my child and you must 

take her”. And so Janne adopted Miriam 

and today she is a healthy young adult 

who is currently studying and working in 

Ottawa. 

When Janne was diagnosed with breast 

cancer she had to travel to Singapore to 

receive the health care and treatment 

needed to beat it. During her fight 

against cancer she reflected on how, for 

many Cambodian women, a diagnosis of 

cancer was a death sentence. Janne refused 

to accept this and began to assembled 

a team of doctors and professionals 

and raised the necessary funds to build 

a women’s hospital. Nokor Tep Hospital 

was opened in June 2019. The following 

year the Government of Cambodia asked 

to have the hospital to meet the challenges 

of the Covid pandemic. They call 

it their miracle hospital. For Janne it is a 

dream come true as the hospital treats all 

people from all classes in Society. 

An inspiration to anyone who knows her 

or has heard her story, Janne has never 

turned away from a challenge. She is an 

inspiration who has mobilized communities 

all around the world to bring dignity 

to Cambodians who are still recovering 

from the genocide. 

Janne returned to Canada in March of 

2020 when the pandemic struck. She has 

used that time to write her memoir I Am 

Who I Am: 26 Years of Working with the 

Poorest in Cambodia. 

19

fausa gives back 

Lamp For Haiti 2021 Annual Grant 

Lamp for Haiti is a Montclair-NJ based nonprofit 

organization working in Haiti that seeks 

to reduce mortality and morbidity, both to 

save lives directly, and to empower the residents 

to improve, for themselves, all other 

aspects of their lives. Our secondary goal 

is to build a durable local institution that 

becomes an anchor and catalyst for local 

community development. Finally, over time 

the Lamp intends to replicate this model of 

community-centered health care in other 

marginalized communities across Haiti. 

Since its founding in 2006, the Lamp has 

accomplished tangibly life-changing programs 

such as a functional Health Center 

in the Community that includes physician 

care, child nutrition program, and an on-site 

pharmacy, laboratory, and diagnostic center. 

Our 22 fully trained staff members are born 

and raised in Haiti, many from Cite Soleil. 

All consultations, lab tests and medications 

care. In Haiti, maternal mortality is 1 in 83 

women, and in Cite Soleil, the risks of childbearing 

are especially grave as most babies 

are delivered at home in unhygienic conditions, 

without a trained birth attendant. The 

Lamp’s program greatly reduces these risks 

and provides medical care to a population 

that could not otherwise receive such care. 

At present, the Lamp provides medical care 

to approximately 20,000 patients a year. Of 

these patients, about half are children and 

about 70% are female. 

Our women’s clinic provides twice weekly 

are provided free of charge. As successful 

as our programs are, our overall impact is 

stunted by factors including low educational 

levels in the local community (leading to an 

incomplete understanding of health issues), 

misunderstandings of the nature and value 

of professional medical services, and social 

barriers to health care access. 

Our medical center is in Cité Soleil, one of 

the most disadvantaged communities in Haiti. 

Due to the costs of medical care, residents 

are not able to seek care at private clinics or 

hospitals and mortality from highly treatable 

conditions is common. The situation 

is especially grave for women – specialized 

services are very expensive, and residents 

are not able to access pre- or post-natal 

services related both to the general health 

of women, and to pre- and post-natal care. 

On staff is the Lamp primary care physician 

and midwife who provide general health 

services include breast and pelvic exams, 

and an extended list of medicine, including 

adequate treatment options for urinary and 

vaginal infections, including STDs. Patients 

who test positive for HIV are referred to 

GHESKIO. Iron supplements are provided for 

women with anemia, which is a very common 

condition among Lamp patients. Health 

education sessions include a wide range of 

health concerns. 

Pregnant women are enrolled into the 

Lamp’s prenatal program. On their initial 

visit, pregnant patients are provided with a 

20

fausa gives back 

Our Philanthropic Achievements 

battery of nine laboratory tests, including 

HIV and syphilis. Patients are examined 

and counselled (by both doctor and nurse) 

regarding health of the fetus and mother 

during pregnancy. Existing health concerns 

are diagnosed and treated to the extent 

possible; potential future problems are 

discussed, and strategies are developed to 

reduce risk and improve the health of mother 

and child. Prenatal vitamins are provided to 

each patient, typically a quantity adequate 

for three months, with the assumption that 

the woman will return for a check-up before 

that period ends and receive a further quantity 

of vitamins. Iron and calcium supplements 

are also provided as needed. 

In their final trimester, expectant mothers 

are provided with an infant kit. After delivery, 

patients are encouraged to return for regular 

check-ups for the first year of the infant’s life. 

21

Philanthropic achIEvements 

The FAWCO Foundation Development Grants 

The Development Grants-- FAUSA Effecting 

Change for Women and Children at Risk 

Grant $4,000 

Recipient: Potatoes and Guayule Cultivation: 

Re-knitting the Social Fiber in Rural South 

Africa: A Covid-19 women-inspired social 

reconstruction project - Bira, Eastern Cape, 

South Africa (Nominated by AW Aquitaine) 

Maggi Palu 

cash to buy other food products. A contract 

was also negotiated with a factory that makes 

potato chips, and the price paid should be 

higher than in the local markets. 

As of November, fencing, gating, and soil 

preparation were completed, as well as mechanized 

planting, timed to correspond with 

the first rains of the Eastern Cape summer. 

The women’s work will start when the potatoes 

start to germinate. Weed management 

will be done manually, and no chemicals or 

Bira is an impoverished village in the Eastern 

Cape, one of South Africa’s poorest provinces. 

The Covid-19 pandemic hit black women and 

children disproportionately harder than any 

other population group in South Africa. Rural 

communities depend on money sent home 

from the cities, but the pandemic has resulted 

in a loss of jobs and money to feed families. 

Bira women have already been planting guayule 

and harvesting seeds, but food security is 

more urgent now. Potatoes are an easy crop 

to produce. The DG permitted the purchase 

of cultivars, fertilizer, pest management, small 

equipment, and fencing, plus rental of land 

preparation equipment. The cultivar chosen 

can be used for cooking and for making potato 

chips. The women will produce potatoes 

(as organically as possible) to feed their 

families and to sell in local markets, providing 

inorganic fertilizers will be used. They hope 

that monkeys and/or baboons will not be a 

nuisance. If so, the women will make scarecrows. 

When the potatoes are ready for harvesting, 

probably in April, the tractor will dig them out 

of the ground and the women will collect and 

pack them in 10 kg bags for sale. 

From Maggi Palu: The photos show some of 

the women beneficiaries of the FAUSA DG, as 

well as the project director, in the newly planted 

potato fields. He wrote that “the potatoes 

are popping up nicely.” The three ladies 

shown, Thozy, Buli-girl, and Achuma, were 

all unemployed before the project received 

the Development Grant. FAUSA can be very 

proud to be helping these women. 

22

Philanthropic achIEvements 

The FAWCO Foundation Education Award 

As a result, I was challenged to rediscover 

photography as a way to capture our life 

here, to encourage others with beauty, and 

to give friends and family back home a taste 

of a Germany. Receiving the FAUSA Skills 

Enhancement Award to take photography 

classes has helped me gain confidence behind 

the lens and enjoy my photos as I spend 

more time with my camera. Every day is a 

chance to practice my budding skills capturing 

details that make our life here a beautiful 

adventure! 

Andrea Stoddard 

Recipient of the FAUSA Skills Enhancement 

Award, sponsored by FAUSA. 

My husband and I moved from Raleigh, NC 

in 2019, after a cycling trip in Germany inspired 

us to take a leap of faith and look for 

new jobs. We left two kids in the US studying, 

but our youngest daughter came with 

us for our adventure in Düsseldorf for only 

9 months before heading back to the US for 

university. We became empty nesters after 

19 years of homeschooling! Big changes, to 

say the least! 

I joined the American International Women’s 

Club of Düsseldorf immediately and had 

no idea what a fun, encouraging group I 

would find in the AIWCD. It thrills me to 

have joined our Board serving as Activities 

Chairperson, even during the pandemic 

when we only met together virtually. Organizing 

activities for our members helps me 

feel connected and helping others to build 

relationships is very fulfilling. Many of these 

friends are tremendously gifted, and they 

remind me that being creative is vital to 

my mental and spiritual health; I feel better 

when I am creative! 

Meet Our New Director of Philanthropy 

Susan Frick 

Susan was raised in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn IL. She graduated from Culver-Stockton 

College in Canton MO with two degrees: Bachelor of Music Education and 

Bachelor of Physical Education. She also earned her Master of Music Education degree 

with an emphasis in Vocal Music. She and her husband Murray raised three talented 

daughters. Susan taught music K-6, worked in music publishing and distribution, gave 

piano and voice lessons and directed many church choirs and programs while following 

her husband’s ministry positions through Missouri, Iowa, Wyoming and upstate New 

York. In 2006, they moved to Brussels, Belgium, where she joined the AWC of Brussels. 

She served as President from 2016-2018 and remained on the Board until they re-patriated 

in June 2019. After catching FAWCO fever in Mumbai, Susan served as the FAWCO 

Region 4 Representative for a few years both in Brussels and in the US. She and Murray 

now live in central Missouri along the Lake of the Ozarks. Philanthropy, or “Mission” as 

it is referred to in the church, was an important part of her life. She served on Mission 

committees in many churches, attended Mission trips, and supported and highlighted 

the FAWCO Target projects along with AWCB’s own HOPE projects. She feels that 

philanthropy through our actions and monetary gifts are an important part of a healthy 

life. Susan is honored to be a part of the FAUSA Board. 

23

Philanthropic achievements 

Target Project 

Dear FAUSA Members, 

I would like to provide you with a summary 

of the 2020-2022 Target Project, Safe Alternatives 

to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) 

Elimination (S.A.F.E.). 

now because of different reasons – ongoing 

legal cases, inability to be reconciled with 

families, orphaned, or abandoned. HGWT 

strives however to reconcile all the girls where 

possible and have also started training families/individuals 

as Fit Families in partnership 

Monthly progress reports can be found here. 

On behalf of Rhobi, the girls of Hope for 

Girls and Women Tanzania and the villages 

reached by the outreach of the target project, 

thank you very much for your generous support. 

The impact of COVID19 has been far reaching 

with unexpected school closures which 

resulted in an extra cutting season during the 

months of April/May 2020. The detailed annual 

report for the year 2020 can be read here. 

The progress on reaching the outcomes of 

the target project is progressing very well, 

and in all probability will be exceeded. There 

are approximately 120 girls at the safe houses 

with the Social Services Department. The purpose 

of the Fit Families is to provide temporary 

accommodation in a family environment. 

Rhobi Samwelly, the founder and director of 

Hope for Girls and Women Tanzania (HGWT) 

recently has been asked to serve on the National 

Council of NGOs (NaCoNGO); Rhobi 

will lead the subcommittee responsible for 

Development and Capacity Building. HGWT 

is the leading NGO in the Mara Region. 

ASANTE! 

Tharien van Eck 

Note: The Lunafest film fundraiser in April 

2121, proposed and orchestrated by Therese 

Hartwell (Austin Metro Group) raised more 

than $5000 for the Target Project. These funds 

combined with a previous FAUSA donation 

of $4000 placed us in the Diamond category 

on the Foundation donor Wall for the second 

consecutive Target Project cycle.—Marilee 

Watts 

24


The FAWCO Foundation Report 

The FAWCO Foundation has been working 

behind the scenes --- and on our screens 

during these unprecedented times! We 

have had very little meeting time together 

other than a few hours in Vienna during the 

Region 5 Meeting. Foundation Counselor 

Patti Meek (AWC Dublin), Parliamentarian 

Janet Davis (AIWC Cologne) and I have 

been meeting weekly to try to get our 

Archives sorted out. It is a slow process, 

but we are definitely making progress. We 

meet online, work hard and laugh a lot -- a 

perfect combination for this rather nonstimulating 

work! 

Fundraising has been a challenge, but 

you know that already! In lieu of an actual 

Foundation Night 2021, we held a virtual 

evening “Where in the World is Foundation 

Night?” which included the performance 

“What a Wonderful World” by our very own 

Robin Meloy Goldsby (AIWC Cologne) on 

the Hopin platform, an online Silent Auction 

on OneCause run by FAUSA’s Carol-Lyn 

McKelvey and a virtual Live Auction on 

Zoom. We were pleased with the total 

results and very grateful to the FAWCO/ 

FAUSA community for their willingness to 

move with us from one platform to the next! 

(Note: we are especially grateful to FAUSA 

for nudging us towards OneCause -- thank 

you!). All in all, we raised over $30,000! 

We held another successful FAWCO Friendship 

Quilt Raffle, and the lucky winner of the 

beautiful quilt “Common Threads” was Melissa 

Rider of AWC The Hague. We had fun 

using the online “Wheel of Names” to draw 

the name. A great way to save paper! Tickets 

for the 2022 quilt are already on sale. 

Check out “The Bluebird of Happiness”. 

Turn to Page 26 

25


The FAWCO Foundation Report 

continued from page 25 

At the March Conference, a new FAWCO 

Foundation board was elected. Almost the 

entire Board stayed on, except for Louise 

Greeley-Copley who had to step down after 

two terms as Secretary. We were very happy 

to welcome Maureen G. Beals of AWC Madrid 

as our new Secretary. Sadly, Maureen 

worked with us for a few months before she 

was diagnosed with cancer and then passed 

away on November 22, 2021. Maureen was 

a wonderful and very upbeat addition to our 

board, and we regret that our time together 

was so short. Christine Riney (AWC Hamburg) 

has agreed to step in in January as 

our new Secretary. 

We are proud that we have awarded nine 

Development grants and nine Education 

Awards in 2021. There have been a few 

hiccups (mostly due to Covid) which have 

delayed the disbursement of some of the 

funds, but the majority of the money has 

already been distributed. We are again 

offering nine DGs and nine EAs for 2022, 

including two Environment DGs and the 

Foundation Award, donated by Sami Bitar 

who was the 1993 recipient of the Foundation 

Award. What an amazing way to pay 

it forward! The deadline for applications/ 

nominations for 2022 is January 27, 2022. 

We are grateful to all of the donors who 

have helped us to fund the 2021 DGs and 

EAs -- and that includes you, FAUSA. Thank 

you for your wonderful contributions to the 

FAUSA Effecting Change DG and the FAU- 

SA Skills Enhancement Award. Your generosity 

has made a difference in people’s 

lives. It is such of good feeling seeing what 

we can do when we work together, isn’t it? 

We at the FAWCO Foundation love giving 

away money and are always looking for ways 

to give out more DGs and EAs. This year, we 

had donations from sponsors who helped 

with the cost of most of the awards, but 

about $24,000 of the $72,000 scheduled for 

distribution came from our reserve funds. 

We held a campaign on Giving Tuesday 

asking for donations so that we could give 

away more. The numbers are not final, but 

this campaign was only mildly successful. 

The Target Project S.A.F.E. has been moving 

along beautifully and we are thrilled 

that the initial goal of $140,000 has been 

reached! We are working with Rhobi and 

Hope for Women and GIrls Tanzania to 

reach an agreement where the remaining 

funds will go. Details will follow. It is all very 

promising and a great relief to all of us to 

see how many girls we have been able to 

save from FGM. Donations for the Target 

Project S.A.F.E. will be collected until the 

end of February 2022. After that, any Target 

donations will go to the new project for the 

Environment. 

We wish all of our FAWCO and FAUSA 

friends all the best for 2022 -- lots of sunshine, 

happiness and, most importantly, 

good health! 

Barbara Bühling 

President, The FAWCO Foundation 

26

pictures of the getaway 

2021 Getaway 

Thank you Awards 

Dancing at the Gala 

2019-2021 Board Touring Rookwood Pottery 

Our Auctioneer - Carol-Lyn 

In the Beer Tunnels of Cincinnati 

27

the getaway opening dinner 


Nominating Committee 

Lots of Good Food 

Photobooth Fun 

Recreating India 

Ooh La La 

More Fun 

28

More pictures of the getaway 


2021 Honorees Using Public Transportation 

Walking Through Over The Rhine 

In the Tunnels 

Before Dinner 

Annual Meeting 

29

our history 

Where We’ve Been 

By Jane Indreland & Nancy Thornley 

30 

FAUSA 

Welcoming You Home For Over 

20 Years 

At FAUSA, you don’t leave your 

international life behind! 

FAUSA is the social and philanthropic 

network for former FAW- 

CO club members and others 

repatriating to the United States 

and Canada. 

Our members maintain overseas 

friendships through participation 

in local and virtual groups, and 

our annual meeting, while continuing 

to participate in FAWCO 

and The FAWCO Foundation 

activities, teams and boards. 

We support those who have repatriated 

in experiencing the joys, 

challenges and changes involved 

in returning home. 

We award FAUSA’s Annual Philanthropy 

Grant to a philanthropic 

project in the Americas. 

We are eligible to apply for The 

FAWCO Foundation’s Education 

Awards and propose projects 

for The FAWCO Foundation’s 

Development Grants and Target 

Programs. 

FAUSA membership is divided 

geographically into regional and 

metropolitan areas, headed by 

Regional Representatives (RR) 

and Metropolitan Coordinators 

(MC). Metropolitan and some 

regional areas hold periodic 

in-person and virtual philanthropic 

and social events. 

FAUSA’s Annual Meetings/Getaways 

are held each fall in locations 

throughout North America... 

and virtually! Whether in person 

or on Zoom, they are a great way 

to connect with other FAUSA 

members and to catch up on the 

most recent news and events 

from the FAUSA organization. 

. 

2000 The beginning of the millennium was 

the beginning for FAUSA. Its members hosted 

the first USA based FAWCO Conference in 

Washington D.C. on March 16 - 20. In April the 

organization became FAWCO Alumnae USA 

Inc. (FAUSA), incorporated in the State of Texas. 

On May 1, FAUSA became a FAWCO Affiliate 

Member Club. The first Executive Board 

and committee chairs, led by President Mona 

Garcia, met twice more in 2000 to plan for the 

future. Jane Indreland designed the structure of 

regions and metropolitan coordinators. 

2001 Nancy Thornley organized 

FAUSA’s first Annual 

Meeting in Provincetown, 

Massachusetts, September 

27-30, two weeks after 9/11. 

Sixty attendees enjoyed the 

history, the camaraderie, 

and the lobster. The guest 

speaker was an expatriate 

film maker who had returned from Japan. Jan 

Curran began work on the first FAUSA website. 

Dale Koepenick was elected president and, 

after shepherding the group through its infancy, 

Mona Garcia became the first FAUSA Counselor. 

On December 10, 2001, FAUSA received its 

IRS 501(c)(4) designation. 

2002 On September 26–28, 

FAUSA members went west 

to Red Lodge, Montana, 

for the Annual Meeting. 

Organizers Jane and Terry 

Indreland were assisted by 

Carol and Sal Lalani and 

Priscilla and Dick Dysart. One 

highlight was an afternoon 

at the Lonesome Spur Guest 

Ranch with members of the Crow Tribe of 

American Indians. Carol Lalani won the raffle 

for the first FAUSA Quilt, which was created by 

Linda Sampson. The raffle benefited the FAUSA 

Education Award. It was administered by The 

FAWCO Foundation. President Dale Koepenick 

and FAWCO D.C. Liaison Milvia Smith participated 

in the first Overseas Americans Week, 

May 6 – 9, meeting government representatives 

about concerns of overseas residents. 

2003 Chicago was the site of 

the third Annual Meeting on 

September 18–20, organized 

by Brooke Bremner, Kay 

Miller, and Nancy Petersen. 

A highlight was the architectural 

cruise along the river. 

President Dale Koepenick 

was elected for a second 

term, and the attendees committed FAUSA to 

future charitable grants in the Western Hemisphere 

in addition to the education award. 

2003 brought a significant change to FAUSA’s 

relationship to FAWCO. The FAWCO Bylaws 

were amended to make FAUSA an “extended 

arm of FAWCO”. This change identified FAU- 

SA as a separate entity. It entitled its members 

to participate in the FAWCO Council 

and confirmed FAUSA’s position as an equal 

partner with both FAWCO and The FAWCO 

Foundation. 

2004 Dale Koepenick and 

her committee organized 

the fourth Annual Meeting 

in Easton, Maryland. Chesapeake 

Bay and its crabs created 

the atmosphere. Beth 

Hemminger, daughter of Liz 

Hemminger, won the Education 

Award. FAUSA gave 

$1000 to each of two charities – La Estancia 

Fraternidad in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Johannna 

Cecelia School in Guyana. Linda Sampson’s 

quilt, with flower blocks, raised $1200 toward 

these efforts. 

2005 The Crockett Hotel in San 

Antonio was the home of the 

2005 FAUSA Annual Meeting, 

September 15 – 17, organized 

by Texan Mona Garcia and 

Linda Sampson. Linda created a 

beautiful autumn themed quilt. 

Members visited the Alamo and 

strolled the River Walk. Jane 

Indreland was elected as president and was 

presented with the official FAUSA Presidential 

Feather Boa from Mona. A dinner cruise on 

the San Antonio River capped off the meeting. 

2006 The Annual Meeting 

moved to Seattle in 2006. 

It was organized by Judy 

Ostrow with helpers Caroline 

Newton and Joanne Bartlemay. 

The Gala Dinner was a trip to a winery on 

the Washington Dinner Train. Bylaws changes 

created a Guest Membership category for 

women born outside of the USA and increased 

the Associate Membership category 

to 25%. Paula Lucas, founder of The American 

Domestic Violence Hotline, was a special 

guest. Kay Miller’s quilt, “Night in the Forest”, 

enabled FAUSA to increase the scholarship 

from $2000 to $3000.

Untitled-1 1 

10/2/17 6:51 PM 

our history 

2007 The Roosevelt Hotel, 

around the corner from Grand 

Central Station in the heart of 

The Big Apple, was the venue 

for the 2007 Annual Meeting 

managed by Liz Hemminger 

and Pam Dahlgren. Available 

were MOMA, the MET, and 

The Best of Broadway. The group prepared its 

own Gala Dinner at Rustico Cooking. Members 

voted to open up the FAUSA Education Award 

to grandchildren as well as members and their 

children. They also decided to propose hosting 

the 2010 FAWCO Interim Conference in Boston. 

FAUSA’s first Honorary Membership was awarded 

to Caroline Newton. Kay Miller paid tribute to 

the Great White Way by naming her quilt “Stars 

of Broadway.” Jane Indreland was elected to a 

second term as president. 

2008 Ginny and Bill Andersen 

hosted the 2008 Annual 

Meeting in Longboat Key, 

Florida. Beaches, high rises 

and circus museums set the 

tone. FAUSA began to go 

digital: creating a Facebook 

Group, using Constant 

Contact for the monthly email 

updates, moving The Quarterly on-line, and 

using PayPal. Professional web designer and 

FAUSA member Debbie Hastings offered to 

revamp the website. Attendees voted to open 

the Education Award to skills enhancement and/ 

or certificate programs. Kay Miller’s lovely quilt 

raised $1520.00. 

2009 The Annual Meeting in 

Durango, Colorado, was organized 

by Dorothy Childers. 

Especially impressive were 

the tour of Mesa Verde, 

the vastness of the desert 

sunset, and the trip to Silverton 

on the narrow-gauge 

railroad. The Quarterly 

name was changed to Highlights, reflecting the 

changes to this publication. Jane presented 

the gavel and presidential boa to newly elected 

President Louise Greeley-Copley. 

2010 On March 11th to the 

14th, FAUSA hosted the 

FAWCO Interim Conference 

in Boston. This year there 

were two FAUSA Annual 

Meetings. The first meeting 

was held in tandem with the 

FAWCO Conference. Both groups were presented 

the FAUSA 10th Anniversary Magazine, 

edited by Diane Lange and Dale Koepenick. In 

the fall, the second Annual Meeting, called the 

Getaway, was organized in Houston by President 

Louise Greeley-Copley. Quilt Shows and cooking 

classes were Texan add-ons. Parliamentarian Lee 

Sorenson was asked to head a committee to 

revise the Bylaws and Administrative Guidelines. 

2011 FAUSA Getaway 

attendees were absorbed 

by the architecture, food 

and music of Charleston, 

South Carolina, at the 2011 

Getaway hosted by Sue and 

Hugh Ripps, October 29-30. 

At the Annual Meeting portion 

of the Getaway, Lee Sorenson was elected 

president, and the revised Bylaws and Administrative 

Guidelines were approved. 

2012 Napa Valley in early 

November was a popular location 

for the 2012 Getaway 

organized by Janet Darrow. 

All enjoyed touring the Hall 

Winery and Castello de 

Amorosa. Many attendees 

stayed for the hot-air 

balloon ride followed by a 

champagne breakfast at the Domaine Chandon 

restaurant. Kay Miller’s quilt, in wine colors of red 

and green, netted $2887, a new record. 

2013 FAUSA members “Met 

FAUSA 2013 Gathering 


in the Middle” for the 2013 

Getaway in Cincinnati, Ohio, 

managed by Rick Chizmadia. 

Meet Us In the Middle A visit to the Underground 

Railroad Freedom Center was 

especially inspiring. The First 

FAUSA Annual Grant to be 

September 26-28, 2013 

Netherland Plaza Hotel 

voted on by the membership 

was awarded to the Girls’ Prevention Program, 

nominated by Louise Greeley-Copley. The 

revived printed Highlights was published and 

sent to all members. Lee passed the presidential 

gavel, boa, and tiara to newly elected President 

Janet Darrow. 

2014 The Garden of the 

Gods Club in Colorado 

Springs was FAUSA’s Getaway 

home in 2014, organized 

by Carol Boren and Teresa 

Wheeler. The Foothills and 

Garden of the Gods Jeep 

Tour was an exciting adventure. 

The San Francisco 

Safe House was awarded the 

second FAUSA Annual Grant of $2000. 

䘀䄀唀匀䄀 

㈀㔀 

䘀愀氀氀 

䜀攀琀愀眀愀礀 

一椀愀最愀爀愀 ⴀ 伀渀 ⴀ 吀栀攀 ⴀ 䰀愀欀攀 Ⰰ 伀渀琀愀爀椀漀 

伀挀琀漀戀攀爀 ⴀ 㐀 Ⰰ ㈀㔀 

2015 Yolanda Henry coordinated 

the 2015 Getaway 

in Niagara-on-the-Lake, 

Ontario, Canada. Attendees 

had an opportunity to 

experience Niagara Falls up 

close on the Hornblower, 

and gardens, vineyards, and 

golf courses on the Canadian 

side. Janet Darrow was 

re-elected president, and FAUSA had another 

first—a man became a board member when 

Rick Chizmadia was elected as first vice-president. 

2016 Organized by Dolores 

Cuellar in Scottsdale, 

Arizona, this Getaway 

included Frank Lloyd 

Wright’s Taliesin West. 

Rick Chizmadia presented 

FAUSA’s new logo in coordination 

with a similar one 

from FAWCO. The bylaws committee, led by 

Karen Snedecker, introduced bylaw changes 

directed at making FAUSA a 501(c)(3) nonprofit 

organization. This change which would enable 

FAUSA to better fulfill its philanthropic mission 

of improving the lives of women and girls 

worldwide. Dale Koepenick won the beautiful 

quilt created Kathy Coughlan. 

2017 The newly restored 

art deco Hotel Phillips in 

the heart of Kansas City, 

Missouri, was the site of 

the 2017 Getaway, organized 

by Leslie Nelson. 

Visitors were impressed by 

the World War One Museum 

tour and the exhibitions at the Nelson-Atkins 

Art Museum. The 2018 quilt was created 

from squares embroidered by refugee women 

at the Collateral Repair Project’s (CRP) Hope 

Workshop in Jordan. CRP was FAWCO’s Target 

Project at that time. The membership elected 

Therese Hartwell as president. 

Fall Getaway & Annual Meeting 

October 4 - 7, 2018 

Marriott Metro Center Hotel 

2018 In April 2018 the 

IRS approved FAUSA’s 

application for 501(c)(3) 

charitable status. Former 

President Janet Darrow 

and pro bono attorney 

Kelly Kemp guided FAUSA 

through the process. Dale 

Koepenick and Judith 

Treanor organized a Getaway in Washington 

D.C. that included a night visit to the Lincoln 

Memorial. Women’s suffrage was a focus, and 

FAUSA made a donation to the Turning Point 

Suffragist Memorial. The FAUSA name will be 

engraved on the memorial wall. 

31

OUR History 

2019 FAUSA went 

to Motown—Detroit, 

MI—for the 2019 

Getaway hosted by 

hometown boy, Rick 

Chizmadia. Varied 

highlights included a 

dinner cruise, a tour 

of the Diego Rivera 

murals at the Detroit 

Institute of Arts, and 

a visit to the Motown 

Museum. President Therese Hartwell passed 

the official presidential boa, gavel, and tiara 

to new elected President Rick Chizmadia, 

who accepted them graciously. 

2020 FAUSA adapted 

to the restrictions 

brought on by the 

COVID-19 virus by 

hosting a “Virtual 

Getaway” developed 

by President Rick Chizmadia, 

First Vice-President 

Liz Janson, and 

Philanthropy Director 

Marilee Watts. Over 65 

members registered 

via Zoom for the morning Annual Meeting 

and evening events on October 3, which 

included a live auction featuring auctioneer 

Carol-Lyn McElvey. The quilt raffle, silent and 

live auctions, plus generous donations raised 

a record $18,000 for FAUSA’s philanthropic 

efforts. 

32 

2021 We were able 

to hold an in person 

getaway despite 

COVID and returned 

to Cincinnati, OH for 

celebratory and very 

memorable event. 

We toured the city 

and learned about its 

European heritage. 

For the first time the 

annual meeting and auction was blended in 

person and on-line Rick Chizmadia’s band 

Squeeze Play performed at the The Getaway 

gala and added a new level of fun which 

help us raise record fund of over $20,000,00. 

Liz Janson of Boulder Colorado became 

president. 

FAWCO COMES HOME 

Nancy Thornley 

The idea of ‘returning home’ became a FAW- 

CO reality in the late 1970’s when Helen Cola, 

of Rome, moving back to Washington D.C., set 

up a card file of local repatriates. This group 

became known as FAWCO West. A formal 

Returning Home Committee was created 

1980. The Washington group sent back how-to 

information on credit, license plates, mortgages, 

schools, and whatever else pertained to 

adjusting to life back in the States. Guidelines 

For Returning to the USA was published in 

1983 in response to a survey and included a 

chapter on returning children. An on-going ad 

placed in club bulletins asked: “Returning to 

the USA? Don’t let us lose you.” A map marked 

the locations of FAWCO alumnae - New York, 

New Jersey, Connecticut, Boston, Washington 

D.C., Maryland, Texas and California. 

In 1989 the FAWCO Board appointed Linda 

Crowley, in Connecticut, as the Alumnae Representative. 

Using a computer, Linda expanded 

the membership file and sent out a newsletter. 

She was succeeded by Karen Burdsall. In 1995 

Mona Garcia, returning to Texas from Madrid, 

set up a more cohesive alumnae group. Dues 

were collected and a quarterly newsletter published; 

it was sponsored by a relocation service. 

It was Linda who, in 1997 in Dublin, promoted 

a first-time-ever FAWCO Conference in the 

States, in Washington D.C., to celebrate America 

2000. When this proposal, not without controversy, 

was approved, an alumnae committee 

was appointed and, with Mona Garcia as chair, 

sent off to organize the event. Twenty-one 

women - Mona Garcia, Linda Johnson, Linda 

Sampson, Jude Stalker, Linda Crowley, Kay Miller, 

Dorothy Childers, Elizabeth Bagney, Eileen 

Ploumpis, Angela Eliopoulis, Dale Koepenick, 

Jean Geesey, Dona Belt, Nancy Thornley, Helen 

McNulty, Eleanor Fina, Lisa Chase, Donna Gray 

Marilyn Richey, Shirley Van Ooijen, and Brooke 

Givot – met in Chicago on September 17-20, 

1998. The first item of business was the deposit 

to the Hotel Washington – FAWCO had not 

provided any seed money. Twenty-one personal 

credit cards, each charged $500, solved 

this immediate problem. The group met again 

in Santa Fe in January 1999, and in Washington 

D.C. the following April and October; the 

Conference on March 16-20, 2000 was one 

of the largest and best attended in FAWCO 

history. The Conference Cookbook, edited by 

Nancy Thornley, was created and sold for the 

occasion. 

FAWCO Alumnae USA (FAUSA) was incorporated 

in the State of Texas on May 1, 2000. 

Six alumnae - Mona Garcia, Jude Stalker, Kay 

Miller, Nancy Thornley, Linda Sampson and 

Pat Coker - meeting at Pat’s home in Dunwoody, 

Georgia, on June 9-14, 2000, began the 

process of defining FAUSA. They met again 

on October 12 -15 at Linda Sampson’s home 

in Dallas; Jane Indreland joined the group. 

Beginning with its purpose, the details of the 

organization were worked through – officers, 

membership, elections, dues, meetings etc. 

Nancy Thornley wrote up The Constitution, 

Bylaws and Administrative Guidelines. 

“The purpose of the Association shall be to 

facilitate the repatriation experience of its 

members and to help them maintain their international 

ties in order to bring about a better 

understanding between the United States and 

other nations.” The IRS designated FAUSA as 

501(c)(4) when it received its tax exemption on 

December 10, 2001. (In 2016 FAUSA reapplied 

to the IRS for a 501(c)(3) status by making a 

bylaw change with a new purpose that included 

a charitable dimension: “The Corporation 

shall support the repatriation experience by 

maintaining an international network and 

committing its resources to the health, 

education, environment and human rights of 

women and children worldwide.” FAWCO 

had also changed its philanthropic direction 

by targeting programs to the United Nations 

goals for women and girls. The new tax status 

was granted in April 2018. The Bylaws Committee 

was Karen Snedeker, Chair; Jane Indreland, 

Nancy Thornley, Dale Koepenick and Rick 

Chizmadia. 

The new FAUSA group considered itself 

quite autonomous, not just an appendage of 

FAWCO. It had its own name, its own constitution, 

its own bank account, its own Board of 

Directors. It even had its own charities; as FAW- 

CO was supporting projects in Africa, FAUSA 

sought out those in need south of the border. 

For FAWCO, what had been an alumnae 

committee was now designated as an Affiliate 

Club. This was unsatisfactory, as the Affiliate 

Club category had been set up as a two-year 

trial membership for American clubs overseas. 

In 2003 FAWCO amended its bylaws. FAUSA 

became its own entity, an equal partner of 

FAWCO and The FAWCO Foundation.

a Final Look back 

At The 2021 Getaway 

Touring Music Hall 

Guest Speaker, Jenn McKettrick of Pro Kids 

Incoming President - Liz Janson 

The New 21-23 Board 

Now That’s Entertainment 

Annual Meeting Photo 

33

Visit Us On: 

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or on the Web - www.FAUSA.ORG

2021 Highlights Interactive Magazine

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